Navigate:

Pelosi faces pressure to replace Rangel

Text Size

-

+

reset

In a statement released late Wednesday, Pelosi said she is prepared to wait for the House ethics committee to complete its investigation of Rangel’s personal finances, which is slated to occur before the official end of the 110th Congress in early January.
AP Photo

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is facing growing pressure to replace Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) atop of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, but so far she’s sticking with the embattled chairman.

In a statement released late Wednesday, Pelosi said she is prepared to wait for the House ethics committee to complete its investigation of Rangel’s personal finances, which is slated to occur before the official end of the 110th Congress in early January.

But Pelosi also signaled that she does not want Rangel’s problems hanging over House Democrats indefinitely, and some action on the embattled congressman is expected early next year, maybe even before President-elect Barack Obama is sworn into office.

“In September, I called on the House Ethics Committee to look into issues raised by news reports on Chairman Rangel. This followed up on the chairman’s own request for an investigation by the Committee,” Pelosi said in her statement.

“I have been assured the report will be completed by the end of this session of Congress, which concludes on Jan. 3, 2009. I look forward to reviewing the report at that time.”

The uncomfortable state of limbo with one of the most senior chairmen has provided an opening Republicans and outside ethics experts to criticize Pelosi’s standards and question her pledge to “drain the swamp.” Democratic leaders and rank and file members have also been remarkably silent about what to do with Rangel.

The House ethics committee was already investigating Rangel’s myriad financial disclosure problems, but the latest revelation from the New York Times that Rangel met with donors to the Charles B. Rangel Center at City College of New York who also had tax policy business before Congress has given yet another opening for Republican attacks.

House Minority Leader John A. Boehner has already made two privileged resolutions calling for censure and Rangel’s removal from the committee, and Republicans will continue the attacks in January. On both these resolutions, Democrats have backed Rangel and voted against the measures, but that will be more difficult in the next Congress.

“The allegations in the New York Times story, if true, raise the stakes in regards to Rangel’s ethical lapses because they involve official government acts and a quid pro quo on behalf of a donor,” said a senior House GOP aide. “Speaker Pelosi has a real choice to make. Does she really want to entrust Rangel to move Obama’s agenda? If she continues to do nothing, then Rangel’s problem will soon become President-elect Obama’s problems too.”

The Times reported on Tuesday that Rangel, who was using his office to help raise money for the Charles B. Rangel Center, met with Eugene M. Isenberg, CEO of Nabors Industries, an oil-drilling company, about donating to the center on the same day in Feb. 2007 that the Ways and Means Committee was meeting on a tax loophole that saved Nabors Industries tens of millions of dollars annually. Rangel opposed removing the loophole, and Isenberg eventually pledged to give $1 million to the Rangel Center.

Rangel and Isenberg flatly denied there was any link between the donation and Rangel stance on the tax loophole, and Rangel’s lawyer said that the lawmaker did not know about Isenberg’s donation to the Rangel Center until a year later.

"At no time — ever — did I entertain, promote, or secure a tax break or any special favor for anyone as an inducement or reward for a contribution to the City College of New York," Rangel said in a statement released by his office.

But if Pelosi decides to make a move against Rangel, she could find serious resistance from the Congressional Black Caucus, an influential force within the House Democratic Caucus. When Pelosi forced Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.), an African-American, off the Ways and Means panel in early 2006, it led to a huge fight with the CBC, and any battle over Rangel’s gavel would be much tougher.

“The CBC would scream bloody murder,” noted one top Democratic aide. “[Pelosi] is going to want to avoid that at all costs.”

Readers' Comments (47)

Oh Charlie Please do not step down. Nancy do not remove him. Go back on your word to clean up the house. Charlie is right up there with Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and Maxine Waters. THEY will lead the way to the 2010 inevitable clean sweep the Repubs. will enjoy. I can't believe how the electorate is constantly duped into thinking the Democrat leaders are NOT the party of Wall Street fat cats. Look at the above mentioned Congressman. The criminal way Fannie and Freddie lowered the lending standards, creating our current mess. Look at the retreads Obama is putting in his cabinet. We are 2 short years from some sanity in Washington. "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss" You've been DUPED Obamaites!

So the Congressional Black Caucus supports alleged criminals without any regard for the appearance of impropriety? The decency and courage to step aside from leadership positions until a legal case is resolved seems foreign to them. This is distressingly similar to a tolerance for deviation from standards of civil behavior in the Black American subculture and does not suggest any movement toward assimilaiton into the dominant culture. You guys are _not_ special.

? Democratic leaders and rank and file members have also been remarkably silent about what to do with Rangel." Are we surprised? Dems only care when it's a Repub that's done something wrong. There is always an excuse for the Dems because as we all know "it depends on what the meaning of the word is is."

Seems logical to wait for a ruling. If they rush to judgement that is just another form of political epediency. If mere charges lead to dismissal the charges will be flying. Maybe a fair hearing BEFORE the lynch mob gets their way would be appropriate. I would like to see some fresh blood in this chair as well. With Dingell and Byrd demoted things are looking up for progressives.

MS. PELOSI: Was Rangel set up -- maybe like this? Targeting of U.S. Citizens by Gov't Agencies: Root Cause of Wall Street Financial Crisis?

GET POLITICAL w/ VIC LIVINGSTON columnist, members.nowpublic.com/scrivener; former business reporter, N.Y. Daily News 'Tonight', Philadelphia Bulletin, St. Petersburg Times

Could government "targeting" of American citizens outside the bounds of the judicial system be one of the root causes of the Wall Street financial meltdown that threatens to devastate the global economy?

Victims of so-called "organized gang stalking" claim that federal and local government agencies involved in intelligence, law enforcement, and revenue collection have established a network of secret programs aimed at destroying the financial well-being of "targeted" individuals -- who are denied due process of law as their financial resources are systematically expropriated.

These programs allegedly involve the interception of mail; surveillance, interception and alteration of telecommunications, including telephone and internet communications; fabrication of bank, credit card, mortgage and billing statements; surreptitious manipulation of personal and business bank and mortgage accounts.

Victims of this alleged "extrajudicial targeting" report being inundated with offers of "easy credit" from banks, mortgage companies and credit card issuers -- even if their financial situation does not warrant the extension of generous lines of credit.

In effect, victims say, a secret parallel system of transaction processing has been established for persons targeted by government agencies. They allege that the goal is to destroy their capacity to earn a living and to support themselves and their families.

Victims theorize that these "programs of personal destruction" are a derivative of past controversial government programs such as Cointelpro and Total Information Awareness. They maintain that the enactment of sweeping laws such as the USA Patriot Act, passed by Congress in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has emboldened those who would use the powers of the state to restrict civil liberties as a tool of social control.

These "mechanics of personal destruction," victims say, closely resemble the tactics employed by pre-war Nazi Germany in its campaign against the Jews and other targeted groups, such as those deemed to be political "dissenters."

Victims charge that some of these programs also are designed to degrade their physical health, with health care professionals sometimes pressured to cooperate. Citizen vigilantes affiliated with government-funded community policing and "watch" groups are employed to relentlessly stalk, harass and intimidate those targeted by these government programs, victims charge.

These civilian vigilantes, with retired military and public safety officers among their ranks, are said to have access to surveillance imposed upon their targets, who are tracked and followed like prey, whether in vehicles or on foot.

The vigilante stalkers are believed to be equipped with high-tech instruments such as radiation-emitting "directed energy" weapons capable of causing serious adverse health effects -- what some describe as a "slow genocide."

Officials in the private sector are believed to have knowledge of some of these programs, since their cooperation is key to the functioning of the system. Victims charge that the government is using national security and the "war on terror" as a pretext to secure the cooperation of local law enforcement, corporations and businesses. But they say it's also possible that the civilian overseers of these agencies, as well as civilian operatives, have been kept in the dark about the most nefarious aspects of these programs.

It's feared that the government takeover of more than half of the nation's mortgage market, and government bailouts and supervision of failed and financially troubled banks, investment houses and insurers, could facilitate this extrajudicial targeting of citizens and their personal and business assets.

Those who say they have been victimized by these programs are calling upon Congress to immediately convene hearings on unconstitutional, extra-legal abuses of power carried out under the direction of government agencies -- what they see as an unraveling of the American constitutional democracy and a descent into a corporate-fascist police state.

Just a technical snafu by his accountant I'm sure. Don't most people take advantage of multiple primary residences, tax loopholes, and overseas income streams from rental properties? Come on people, can't you see an oversite when you see one, congressman Rangel is a gentleman and a scholar. LOL! As long as he has a (D) next to his name, his seat is safe. Now that's CHANGE we can believe in!! LOL!

WE PUT AL CAPONE IN JAIL FOR TAX EVASION AND THIS GUY ADMITED HE EVADED TAXES FOR 10 YEARS. TO TOP IT OFF HE BLAMES IT ON SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE! YOU THINK WITH REPRESENTING HARLEM & SPANISH HARLEM FOR 35 YRS HE WOULD LEARN A LITTLE SPANISH. HE SHOULD RESIGN OR THROW HIM IN JAIL @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@2

There is no greater scenerio to have a constitutional amendment to force these career crooks to no more than two terms. MAX. These thugs from both sides of the aisle get into office and create a fantasy world of sex, drugs, and 'going to hell in a hand basket' behavior.

Pelosi, Reid, Franks, Schumer and Rangel,....now their are a bunch of idiots you really want you kids to look up to as role models....lol. These people couldn't equal the total brain power of a smurf village. See ya in hell democoms!

WE PUT AL CAPONE IN JAIL FOR TAX EVASION AND THIS GUY ADMITED HE EVADED TAXES FOR 10 YEARS. TO TOP IT OFF HE BLAMES IT ON SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE! YOU THINK WITH REPRESENTING HARLEM & SPANISH HARLEM FOR 35 YRS HE WOULD LEARN A LITTLE SPANISH. HE SHOULD RESIGN OR THROW HIM IN JAIL

Charlie SHOULDstep down. However, when we want the opinion of a troll we'll ask for one.

They wonder why we can't trust these legislators? They can't even abide by the laws! Now these same individuals want to overhaul our health care??? WOW?! Scary!!!! I must say once again, their approval rating for this month according to Rasmusson is 11%. 1% lower than last month....

suh' thing Fancy Nancy may already be paving the way to her daughter, Democrat activist Christine Pelosi

Considering the age of Nancy and the large number of surgeries she did , her days may be counted but she can assure the dinasty goes on. With some bad luck we may even have Christine Pelosi as presidential candidate, after Michelle Obama...

Rangel cannot put Pelosi and the Democrats through this...days before Obama's Big Day. If the committee has enough incriminating information on Rangel,then he should gracefully stand-down as Chair, pending resolution of the claims.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The perception of impropriety surrounding Congressman Rangel is moving closer to reality. The Congressman's explanations are bordering on the ludicrous regarding his rent-controlled NYC apartments and his real estate investment in the Dominican Republic. And his arrogant, defensive and belligerent behavior when questioned indicate that he believes that he is above the law, the same illness that afflicted other so-called "public servants" (e.g., Ted Stevens, Randy "Duke" Cunningham, Dan Rostenkowski, etc.) who were eventually indicted and found guilty of violating the law. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire. Rangel is becoming, if he is not already, an embarassment and should step down as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which will have the most significant role in shaping the incoming Obama Administration's tax policy as we confront the most significant economic crisis in the past 75 years. At this critical moment, our country needs someone above reproach to steer a tax bill(s) through the House and Senate.